Study of Ag and Au Nanoparticles Synthesized by Arc Discharge in Deionized Water

The paper presents a study of Ag and Au nanofluids synthesized by the arc discharge method (ADM) in deionized water. The metallic Ag nanoparticle (Ag0) and ionic Ag (Ag+) have played an important role in the battle against germs which are becoming more drug-resistant every year. Our study indicates that Ag nanoparticle suspension (SNPS) fabricated by using ADM without added surfactants exclusively contains the metallic Ag nanoparticle and ionic Ag. Besides that, the ADM in deionized water has also been employed for the fabrication process of Au nanoparticles. The experimental results indicate that the prepared Ag nanoparticles can react with the dissolved H2CO3 in deionized water, leading to the formation of Ag2CO3. Significantly different to Ag, the prepared Au nanoparticles with their surfaces bonded by oxygen are suspended in deionized water by the formation of hydrogen bonded with the neighboring water molecules